Salted Peanut Butter & Banana {Vegan, RSF}

Alright you guys, I don’t care to admit how many times I’ve made this ice cream in the past few weeks. I’ve gone to make it for the blog at least twice a week, but it ends up getting eaten well before I can photograph it. It just looks so damn creamy and inviting that i’ve been eating it straight out of the ice cream maker using my fingers. That is no lie.

I’ve been raving about this ice cream so much in fact, that my friends finally had to come over and try it so I would shut the hell up about it. I was slightly scared that I’d built it up too much. Do they know its completely vegan and sugar free? It’s not going to taste like Ben & Jerry’s alright.

But…. it was during the “mmmms” and “oh my gods” that I sighed relief and waited for the compliments to flow.

Honestly… the flavour combination of peanut butter and banana is so friekin good that I honestly want to know if anyone out there doesn’t like it?

>>>>>>> DEATHLY SILENCE? Okay good, I thought as much.

As you might have noticed, I’ve been playing around with making healthy ice cream using coconut cream or milk. It completely blows my mind how easy, indulgent and delicious it can be. It’s honestly my favourite ingredient of the minute and I really need to find where I can buy in bulk because I’m going through several A DAY. I like my ice cream alright. I’m not going to apologise.

By adding a few frozen bananas, you can up the creamy and sweetness ante by at least 5. Bananas are naturally sweet, so you don’t need to add nearly as much sweetener and the frozen texture of bananas is second to none – I know, I know, it’s ridiculous. How do these simple ingredients create such an overwhelmingly indulgent outcome?

When you’re eating it, you might need to ask yourself, is this real life? As in how can this ice cream dream be truly vegan, sugar free and only have FIVE ingredients? That’s right, 1, 2, 3, 4,5. But I can assure you my friend, this is real life and I am pretty chuffed about being able to share this recipe with you.

The method is simple, the taste is unbelievable and the recipe is totally memorisable, or maybe I have just memorised it from how many times I have made it? But EITHER WAY stop reading and make this ice cream right now.

That’s an order!

P.s this was my first photo shoot using artificial light, nothing comes close to glorious sunlight, but these aren’t tooooo bad. What do you think?

Don’t forget to hashtag #cookwiththemacadames when making our recipes. We love to see how you went and get a peek at your kitchen table.

What you need:

Blender

Ice cream maker

Ingredients (makes approx 1L):

2-3 ripe bananas, frozen

1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled if possible

4-5 tablespoons organic (or home made) peanut butter

1/4-1/3 cup maple (depending on how sweet you like it)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sea salt to taste (I used 1/4 teaspoon but you might want to use a bit less)

Optional: crushed peanuts for serving

Method:

1. Shake the can of coconut milk or cream well. Pop all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

2. Put the mixture into the fridge for an hour or so to chill. This isn’t mandatory but blending can sometimes heat the mix and the ice cream maker works best with chilled ice cream bases.

3. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the instructions. I find 30-40 minutes is the perfect time for most batches. You’ll need to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t over churn. It should be a frozen creamy texture but not solid.

4. Transfer to a freezer safe container to set. Leave for at least 3-5 hours but overnight is ok too. If you freeze overnight, you should get it out at least 20-30 minutes before you want to serve.

5. To serve: Serve a few scoops of ice cream and top with chopped peanuts.

Storage: in the freezer for up to a week.

Notes:

*The coconut milk should be full fat as this will ensure a creamier ice cream. Don’t go for the light options.

*Chilling the coconut milk is highly preferable.

*If you don’t have an ice cream maker: omit the coconut cream and mix the ingredients in a blender & serve immediately.